RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) – Virginia State Police announced that, starting on Thursday, the Virginia Critical Operation for a Disappeared Child Alert, or CODI Alert, will now be issued to aid in searches for missing and endangered children.
The CODI Alert, named in honor of 3-year-old Codi Bigsby, who was never found after being reported missing in January of 2022, was passed by both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly in 2024.
When Codi went missing, an AMBER Alert was not issued, as police did not believe he was abducted, prompting the additional of the newly enacted alert.
The alert will be issued upon request by the investigating law enforcement agency as long as certain criteria have been met, including:
- Child must be 17 years of age or younger — or currently enrolled in a secondary school in Virginia regardless of age
- Child’s whereabouts must be unknown
- Disappearance must be under suspicious circumstances deemed appropriate by VSP
- Sufficient information available to the public to assist in location
Law enforcement agencies who believe all criteria have been met will have to contact VSP in order to activate the alert.
With the addition of the CODI Alert, six alert programs are now available for activation by VSP, including AMBER Alerts, Senior Alerts, Critically Missing Adult Alerts, Missing Person with Autism Alerts and Blue Alerts.
For more information on the CODI Alerts or any other alerts available, click here.